Pregnant At Sixteen

Reed - Waiting

I don't know how long I've been sitting on the floor, nor how long it's been since I held my daughter or saw the blank look on Reena's face. There's a watch on my hand that I could look at but I can't, because I don't want to know, I don't want to know anything except that she's fine. Raw emotions begin to tear at my very being, and I feel my heart begin to race as panic starts to set in.

I clamp my eyes shut, bite my lips and try to think about anything other than the current situation that I'm in. I try thinking about Reena and when we first met, but that does nothing instead I feel even more panic as I realize that it's just a memory and she could be too.

My eyes fly open and I jump up, trying to shake the thoughts from my brain because she can't die. She's going to graduate, go to university and get her degree for heaven's sake. Heck, we're engaged, and she's going to be my wife, and we're going to raise our daughter together. We have our whole lives ahead of each other, and I know it can't possibly stop here. I cannot lose here. I can't.

I start pacing, my head in my hands when I feel someone say my name, It's mom and dad. They see my face and my mom looks towards the operating room and her face goes slack.

"Reed, what's wrong?" Dad asks as he steps towards me and the closer he gets, the more I lose restraint on my feelings. I can feel that I'm going to definitely lose it.

"Reed." He rests a hand on my shoulder, and when I begin to tremble, he holds my head and stares into my wet eyes. "Oh God..." Those are the only words he says, and the tears begin to come. He pulls me into him and while every emotion tries to become undone, I try holding it together because if I give in to them, that'll be the moment when I give up, and I'm not about to give up on Reena. Not now, not ever.

After a few minutes, my dad finally releases me and asks me what happened, and as much as it is hard to tell them, I do. "I thought everything was fine, I was holding her one minute and then I wasn't. They took her from me and Reena..." I stop as I remember the look on her face and all of a sudden, I feel like I can't breathe. Mom notices and she grabs my face, "Reed, it's going to be okay. She probably lost too much blood, those things happen during and even more so, during c-sections."

I look up into my mom's face and I want to tell her I know because I do, but I cannot get the image of her eyes out of my head. I can't.

"Reed," My dad whispers, and I look across at him, "She'll be okay." He gives me a small smile and I finally take a deep breath and nod.

We find a couple seats not so far from the operating room, and my dad offers to get coffee; I don't want anything to eat. Mom stays with me, and I know she wants to talk to me because that's her thing, but she doesn't, and I've never appreciated her silence more than I do now. Soon after, dad shows up with three coffees, he gives me mine but instead of drinking it I use it to warm my hands that have since gone cold. Mom notices and I see when dad rests his hand on her leg and she turns to look at him, and he shakes his head no. She doesn't say anything.

We sit there for how long I don't know, then I see the someone walking towards us and I notice that it's the doctor that delivered our baby. My heart begins to race again, and I take a sip of the coffee, hoping it'll settle my stomach.

"Max." My dad says, and when I look up I see a doctor walking towards us.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, whispering a quick prayer.

***

Hi guys, so I have some good news and bad news. Good news, the book will be concluding soon, very soon and the bad news is that I don't know whether or not to keep Reena alive. So I'm asking you the readers what I should do. Please comment and let me know.

Happy Reading!